** UPDATE, 6 November: We were relieved to learn that Dr Vasmaghi has been released on bail but remain very concerned that she continues to face charges. **

PEN is deeply concerned about the well-being and safety of Dr Sedigheh Vasmaghi, an Iranian author and poet who was arrested by the Iranian authorities upon her arrival to Iran from Sweden in October 2017.

Vasmaghi had been residing in Sweden since 2012 as a guest of the International Cities of Refuge Network (ICORN), a close partner organisation of PEN International, having been forced to flee her country in March 2011 due to threats and persecution.

PEN considers Vasmaghi’s recent arrest and detention to be politically-motivated and linked to her writings and peaceful activities. We call for her immediate and unconditional release as well as the release of all writers, journalists and publishers who are unfairly imprisoned in Iran, in violation of their right to freedom of expression and opinion.

For further information, please visit the PEN International website.

TAKE ACTION

Spread the word

Share details of Dr Sedigheh Vasmaghi’s case with friends and colleagues, in your local and national press and on social media. #SedighehVasmaghi

Write to the authorities

Send letters of appeal:

• Calling on the Iranian authorities to immediately and unconditionally release Dr Sedigheh Vasmaghi;
• Calling on them to ensure the full respect of her rights as a prisoner, in accordance with international human rights standards;
  Ensure that the right to freedom of expression in Iran is fully respected in law and practice as provided for under Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Iran is a state party.Leader of the Islamic Republic

Appeals to:

Leader of the Islamic Republic
Grand Ayatollah Sayed ‘Ali Khamenei
The Office of the Supreme Leader
Islamic Republic Street — End of Shahid Keshvar Doust Street,
Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
Email: http://www.leader.ir/langs/en/index.php?p=letter
Twitter: @khamenei_ir English-language account), @Khamenei_ar (Arabic-language), @Khamenei_es (Spanish-language account).

Head of the Judiciary
Ayatollah Sadegh Larijani
c/o Public Relations Office
Number 4, Deadend of 1 Azizi – Vali Asr Street
Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran

President of the Islamic Republic of Iran
Hassan Rouhani
Pasteur Street, Pasteur Square
Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
Email: media@rouhani.ir

http://rouhani.ir/register.php
Twitter: @HassanRouhani (English) and
@Rouhani_ir (Persian)

Please send your appeals to the Embassy of Iran in your country (addresses here) and let us know of any action you take and responses you receive. Thank you.